(ACE) The STARK Team

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain (Main Chamber) | ??? (84)

Too damn slow!

It would've seemed like a bad thing, however it was the unfortunate bastard Skarmory was on the receiving-end of the matter. In the fraction of a moment it took Sahara to gather her thoughts for her next attack, George launched an assault of his own at the steel bird. The Growlithe's cautious placement of his weight held down the undead, it's other metallic wing thrashing furiously at the floor in an attempt to shoot back into the air.

“Not today, dammit!” She roared, rashly jumping onto the other wing. It flailed under her, the rotten, steel feathers literally flying off it's muscle and littering the ground. “Dumbass undead, just die and save us all a slight fraction of time!” And her eyes rolled over the chamber to see a... a fucking monkey. And another--

Another undead. As though it wasn't enough they had a mother fucking Heatran charging around and a small clique of undead, a jacketed bat out of Hell had to bring an acquaintance.Steadying her thoughts, she turned from the ensuing fights literally everywhere, to shoot a glance at the Growlithe on the other wing. They had the damn thing down, now it was just a matter of killing the son of a bitch.

Steel plating was cold on her paw pads, eventually not even her claws were able to dig in enough to hold the flier still as the Ember from George shot at it. Sahara slipped an inch and found a beak snapping up at her. Startled would not be the exact right word, but she did not see that coming and reacted out of instinct; she swiped her paw at the iron bird, connecting harshly enough that the top half of it's beak cracked and snapped, hitting the ground with a thud of metal.

The threat of being bitten semi eliminated...

Only hell to go.

((OoC - Sorry for the quality. x_x I struggled to write this right now. If anything is wrong, I'll fix it when I wake up...))

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain [Main Chamber] | ??? George 43 | Nikora 38

The metal along the birds face turned a light shade of pinkish-silver as George's Ember forcibly heated it. Maybe if he held it long enough it would- With a hard jerk the Skarmory's attention shifted as Sahara moved into position on its other wing, the snapping beak forgetting its assailant to go for the larger hound. Snapping his teeth together the stream of fire stops, but before he can open even open them again to speak the Arcanine reacts, slamming a paw down on its beak, the tarnished, rotten, heated metal crumpling beneath her strength and falling to the stone floor. Nice hit!

The ugly brute may of been disfigured but it was still very much al- undead. Steeling himself the smaller hound sinks his fangs into the Skarmory's neck, prepared to try and give it a kill bite. Godsbedamned. Like he had thought the thick protective metal of its neck was too sturdy for him, refusing to scratch or even dent beneath his grasp. The undead gave a roar, the gurgly noise muffled from its broken face, and shuddered beneath him. "Fuck you," George snapped, bringing his jaw all the up to the bottom side of the birds head. Instantly he can feel the difference. The sturdy metal wasn't protecting this part but as the bird trashed, or tried to, he figured it knew this was a death grip or something. With a deep breath in the hound whispered through his mouthful, "Say goodnight, " and crunched as hard as he could with a powerful Bite. The soft metal feathers instantly scrunched, a clear imprint of his jaw forming a he crushed the birds windpipe. The noise it was making cut short, its body twitching vainly as George gave its head a hard jerk, snapping the thin neck within.

Nikora stood shakily above the Magmar, a massive hole now in its collar and chest. Blood coated her face, chest, and paws, splattered across her fur like a paintball explosion. Gulping down the last hunk of meat that was in her jaws she licked at her lips hungrily, snickering at the other fire type that was still twitching and conscious, using any strength remaining to crawl away. Giving a short-lived triumphant howl she turned, looking for something more lively, more fun! This Pokemon had gone boring on her. The ground rumbled a bit, noise echoing in from further along the hall. Instantly Nikora's red eyes were locked in, watching as both Pokemon streamed into the room with a hurried introduction. "Hey, sorry to crash your party here-- but I swear, I'm not infected, don't come after me! How about I just help you fight off these guys, then I can introduce myself better - I'm Harley! Good to meet you, nice knowing you."

Her food forgotten and clambering away Nikora charged forward. Who is this who is this who is this! Whatever this new guy was he sure knew how to make a fun entrance- riding a Rhydon bear-back like some sort of rodeo star! Pacing in an arc in front of the undead Nikora matches its steps, leaping back when it went forward and lunging when it moved back. It was like some sort of game! Barking with delight she didn't even notice Jude until he was right beside her, scoring a nice hit against the Rhydon before jumping back. "Fun!" She barked, leaping toward the Zoroark.

"Hey, Vince! I got your back!" With Maxwell's support, things didn't look as dire to you. "Thanks, man!" you shout back as the undead roar. The Rhydon was apparently distracted, some God damn lunatic jumping on top of the tied up beast. With it's thrashing, the ground type ripped itself free of the grass knot, causing you to hiss in anger at the red fool on top of it. That was MY kill!

So much for being useful.

The Graveler, however, was still within range. You clench your jaw, baring dull herbivore teeth. This one is our's.Maxwell had the duel type's attention, the sentient stone attempting to turn as the bird circled around it. The Fletchinder spat small flames at the undead, clearly doing no damage as they puffed out soon as hitting the thing's thick skin, but the distraction was all that you needed. Your eyes glowed again, flattening your short, fat ears as you willed the plants to grow. The Graveler was pulling completely out of the vines by then but without warning, and entirely new set sprouted out of the ground beneath it.

Growing rapidly, the grass knot was double power as compared to the last one due to not being split between multiple targets. "Yeah!" you crow in triumph, watching with growing satisfaction as the attack wrapped tighter around the thing's feet, stubby legs, and lower torso, causing the Graveled to smash violently into the ground. The impact was intense enough to crack open the thing's outer shell, showing the rotted meat inside, but it still moved. The armour at the back of it's head, however, was clearly wreaked, the cracks spreading over to the back and neck of it.

"Hit it's neck!" you cry, rushing forward even after calling out to Maxwell. Maybe he had a strong physical move?? You could only pray he would back you up enough as you summoned all your strength to a take down technique, both physical and mental, before slamming into the back of it.

Maxwell's distraction worked, apparently; more grass was springing up from the ground beneath the Graveler, sending it once again crashing down. He flinches as the thing's outer armour begins to split apart with a horrid crack; one would think that would put an end to the undead, but it was somehow still moving. What the hell?! Obviously the Graveler wouldn't last much longer, not with its body all ruined like that, and maybe Ember would actually do something to the parts where the armour had fallen off. Vincent has other ideas, though. "Hit its neck!" the Bulbasaur shouts, and Maxwell finally sees the spreading cracks along the Graveler's back. One strong hit would finish it off...but all Maxwell has is Peck. Hitting that thing, even if it was injured, what if it snapped his beak in half? He has little time to think; already Vincent is charging towards the Rock-type, and Maxwell knows he has to help, even if it meant potentially destroying his beak. What if the Bulbasaur doesn't kill it and the Graveler crushes him? There's no way Maxwell can allow that to happen without doing anything; he wouldn't be able to live with himself like that.

He hastily puts up a single Swords Dance, the movement sloppy and without any sort of rhythm; the move still sends a burst of strength through Maxwell regardless. Taking aim at the cracks on the back of Graveler's neck, he flies forward, reveling in the boost of both an Agility and the previous Swords Dance. For a moment, the moves can make him forget about how much it's going to hurt when he actually attacks...that is, until Maxwell's attack actually connects. Despite his low level, the Swords Dance boost combined with Vincent's attack is enough to break apart what little remained of the Graveler's armour-but the pain that shoots through his beak is exactly like a volcanic eruption. Maxwell isn't quite sure if the screech he hears is that of the undead, or his own; either way, the pain and force of the impact sends him reeling back from the rock creature, pieces of rotting meat stuck to the feathers around his beak. Was it broken? Would he be able to use his beak again? Is Vincent okay? A thousand questions run through his head, each one more confused and frantic than the last.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Mt. Stark | Main Chamber | Time Unknown2

Harley continued slamming punches into the side of the huge beast, Break Break leaving cracks on it's rocky hide and immediately forming huge purple bruises from the raw, soft flesh being easily damaged. "Yeah, take that you big bastard! I'm not getting off until you're on the ground dead!" he somewhat cackles with a cocky, breathy chuckle afterward. He seemed to attract the attention of two other Pokemon, a Growlithe and a Zoroark. Though the poor werewolf creature's look told an extensive tale of how unwilling he was to fight these undead monsters. Which clicked in some way to Harley... possibly as sympathy. The Growlithe though, barked and leaped back and forth to almost playfully bite at the dead lizard's toes. It was pretty childish to do, or maybe the dog was actually young in age, to which case he would feel really terrible or scared about their seemingly lacking restraint. All Harley could manage to do is to make the Rhydon go slower but his impacts actually getting to it. Maybe he was rattling his brains enough to scramble them like eggs. Tugging on one of it's rocky ears made the Rhydon's head swing in that direction, and gave the others enough room to attack as it roars in protest.

"You're open, take a shot!" he yells, "this fucker's under my control!" One of the Rhydon's rocky talons got horribly close to scratching him, but he managed to swing right out of the way in time to the other side of it's shoulders. He made a dumbfounded noise, but continued to bash in it's neck. If he could get a well-placed punch, he may be able to punch it's skull clear open....

[OoC: Sorry for the lack of quality, trying to push out all these posts before I collapse from exhaustion. lol]

Dracul needed to back up his words to the humans that was in Ilex forest and only way to do that is to kill a legendary or turn it undead. His laughter only ceased as he fed on a dead body. His search for Mathias had to wait until he offered a legendary's corpse to the harbingers or offer the living to them. Either way he was going to get back to the Aiveon one of these days for the ash it threw into his eyes. As he finished eating the body and drinking up some of the blood, he began hearing voices. New prey to torment or to kill. Dracul began laughing at the thought which he had next. New prey has come to thee They shall tell me where Mathias is or better yet the legendary that lives here. he began to follow the voices down the tunnels where there was undead walking down. They seemed to be more mindless than anything. The undead charizard however think less of the mindless undead as simple minions to him. One undead that was on the ground bleeding everywhere gave Dracul a very sinister thought.

He picked up the bloody undead and started eating more of the body off to where blood started pouring out more. He held it up to his mouth as the viral infected blood fills his mouth up. Swallowing it, Dracul throws the now completely lifeless body forward into the main chamber. There he seen a group of pokemon with no humans in sight. This was his lucky day. A Zoroark, an aggron and several others fighting against the the horde. One in particular was a Growlithe. He couldn't not smell anything alive about her, but she fought for the living still which makes her a useful tool to use against them in due time. "Go minions, surround them and take their souls." As he steps into the Main chamber he started laughing as if this was a simple joke to him. Dracul crossed his arms and lets loose a flame burst hitting the undead nearby. "Hehehehe. Its time for Chaos." The Charizard said with an evil smile on his face. Then he introduced himself to the entire group. "Ah seems some unfortunate souls got trapped in here. I am Eu sunt Dracul and I will be your doom if you don't tell me what I need to know. Where is the legendary that lives here and if you have seen a charizard anywhere do tell me then I'll let you live a little while longer." Dracul said laughing in a very sinister way.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain (Main Chamber) | ??? (85)

Handily enough, Sahara's bulk was enough to hold the flailing flier down as George snapped his fangs around the Skarmory's throat. “Stop fucking moving,” she growled at the undead, raking her claws against it's hide with a massive paw. Not that it did anything, but it alleviated some of her anger. Fucking bird.It cawed angrily, George's bite moving from the impregnable feathers on it's neck to a killing blow on it's head.

“Bitch bird,” Sah groaned as she held it's thrashing form in place. “End this shit, George!” With the sound of flesh crunching under teeth, it's guttural screeches and vain attempts to move ended. The Growlithe proved superior to the undead, the bird the one with a broken neck now and the duo of canines triumphant.“Christ.” Sahara backtracked away from the dead bird, shaking out her pelt and perking her ears. “Are you alright, George?”

The moment of victory died in an instant as a malicious laugh resounded off the walls of the chamber. Sahara whirled around, looking with narrow eyes for the owner of the voice, because sure as fuck, that wasn't a good thing. A very unwelcome sight was to behold - a very fucked up looking Chariz... No, this guy wasn't just fucked up. A second-glance told Sahara he was undead too, judging by his dead eyes and purple scales. Her lips slid up to expose her teeth and a sharp growl was a warning."Ah seems some unfortunate souls got trapped in here. I am Eu sunt Dracul and I will be your doom if you don't tell me what I need to know. Where is the legendary that lives here and if you have seen a charizard anywhere do tell me then I'll let you live a little while longer." This guy was cocky. Sah already wanted to knock him down a few pegs.

“I do not foresee you being my doom,” Sahara snarled. “If you do not run away and play with your undead brethren, you might end up like this soulless abomination, here.” She swatted the Skarmory's dead corpse for emphasis.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain [Main Chamber] | ??? George 44 | Nikora 39

Nikora jumps back, again falling in step with the other Pokemon. The new-found energy was coursing through her veins. She wants to run! To run and jump and chase and hunt. Yet for the life of her she can not recall why they were in a cave again. They had left the caves to live under the open sky. Why would they even go into another cave? "You're open, take a shot!" The new Pokemon yowls at them, forcing her to focus on the other Pokemon, "this fucker's under my control!" The females tail wags. A shot? She only had one thing to shoot and it only takes a second for her to start charging her attack. Shots fired! She spits the Ember toward the Rhydon's feet, the hot balls splashing and bursting in all directions as they collided with the ground. "Hot toes hot toes!" She barks, jumping in place. Nothing liked walking on fire, not even rock types. Dance for me. Maybe it would attack, or run! Maybe it would run and give her something to chase!!

George stepped away from the the now completely dead bird, a cold feeling coming over him. Even after all this time killing was not something he enjoyed. Hunting he loved, but killing was something else entirely. Necessary sure, kill or be killed yeah, but it never truly got easier. 'We kill to eat, we kill to survive. Life is precious and we do not waste it.' The Alpha's words still rang true in his mind. This bird had been wasted- no one was going to eat it. It was nothing but uneeded death... “Are you alright, George?” Sahara's voice pulls him from his near trance. The smaller hound flinches before pulling his eyes away from the corpse. His jaw ached from the steel and his pads felt raw from the bladed wings but he was no worse for wear. His voice is heavy and distant, "Yeah, Im fine." Peaking at the Arcanine he can see the torn fur on her side where the birds wing had pierced her. That was going to sting like fury.

He doesn't have a chance to ask about her injuries as a creepy laugh echos into the chamber, swiftly followed by the source. A growl rumbles deep in George's throat as the Charixard moves closer and closer; their space was getting way too packed and soon they would not be able to fight without friendly fire. He takes a step back, trying to think tactically though he was never very good at that. Looking at the Skarmory for only a second he considers pushing it down the cliffside to give them a little more room. Dammit George there isnt time for that! As if on cue the Charizard starts a monologue, giving him time to act though all he does is examine his new enemy. The scent of undead was already heavy in the air but it was clear this Pokemon was not alive. If not for the blood on its muzzle, unnatural red eyes, or purple splotched scales, it had one dead giveaway- a cold, flameless tail. The Charmander family's vitality visual. It was another undead, insane though still sentient enough to speak. Wonderful.

"Ah seems some unfortunate souls got trapped in here. I am Eu sunt Dracul and I will be your doom if you don't tell me what I need to know. Where is the legendary that lives here and if you have seen a charizard anywhere do tell me then I'll let you live a little while longer." The growl grows a bit louder. Let them live a little while longer? What was the point of that if he clearly intended on killing them. “I do not foresee you being my doom,” Sahara sneered, her train of thought following his. Swiping the dead bird toward the new undead she sneers, “If you do not run away and play with your undead brethren, you might end up like this soulless abomination, here. You choose.” Despite her confidence George isnt so sure. The space was tight now and it, Dracul or whatever, had the advantage of space. The slope was a hazard to nearly all of them but the Charizard could easily fly back up, though he could do little else with them. Plus he's a fire type.. Again, typing was not in their favor. He holds his tongue, another thing coming to mind. He's looking for the Heatran. Was the legend infected and calling for subordinates?

You got it. With the help of the Fletchinder, the Graveller went down-- like a bitch you thought with momentary satisfaction. Your bitterness over the crazed ape stealing your glory softened as you smirked with satisfaction towards Maxwell. We did it!

You could take care of yourself, for once, and with the bird's help, you both could take on anything! The adrenalin was running thick through your veins like icy fire but you were far from aware from it, finding yourself gouging your nails into the ground as you eagerly glanced around for another opponent.It seemed your prayers were answered, as a Claydol had shown up in the group without any warning.

I got this.Rushing forward, you were already preparing another knot of vines to trip the ancient undead. But the creature was far out of your range for battle, and you were too blind to this as you smashed into it's side with a take down.The Claydol's many eyes stared down at you slowly, fear suddenly creeping into you like the lava, distracting you altogether from the Charizard that had shown up. The undead reached out, gripping you with two of it's appendages and, before you could scream, vanished in a teleport, leaving the cavern behind.

Pain. That's all Maxwell can feel, and Vincent's satisfied smirk cannot get through the red haze blurring his vision. Of all things, a physical move...a physical move! What had he been thinking? Now it was likely his beak was damaged, possibly even irreparably (Azelf above, at least spare him that), all because he'd been far too eager to be a daring and brave hero. What a joke. The agony is barely fading, but finally Maxwell is able to see a little more clearly...and spots Vince charging head-on towards what can only be a Claydol. The creepy puppet-like beings were uncommon back in Fortree, but Maxwell had seen a few; his one, though, sent chills down his wings. As it reached towards Vincent, Maxwell's mind shrieked No! in a way that his body was currently incapable of. Ignoring all of his pain and fear and exhaustion for that one moment, the Fletchinder shot off like a tiny, feathered missile to keep the Psychic-type from hurting his friend. He was too late, and the Claydol vanished with the shy Bulbasaur in an instant, leaving Maxwell to flap his wings in one place frantically. Where had they gone?!

Could-could they have left the mountain itself? No, that couldn't be true-Claydol couldn't have that big of a teleport range. Maxwell had to find it and save Vincent, before the thing did something terrible...the others would be okay without him, they were all so tough. Without wasting another second, Maxwell flew off by himself, his heart racing with the adrenaline of both a fight and the fact that Vincent could very well be dead. They had to be somewhere in the mountain, they had to be...Don't be dead. Don't be dead. Please please don't be dead. Barely paying attention to how far he had strayed from the group, Maxwell went deeper into the mountain. It didn't matter that the mountain was going to erupt; he had to find that Bulbasaur.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Mt. Stark | Main Chamber | Time Unknown3

At his shout, the Growlithe by the brute's feet spat flames out of it's mouth and made patches of fire under the rockyfeet pads of the Rhydon. They twinkled with a sharp light like prickly seed pods, and he bet they hurt just a bad when stepped on. With that attack, the beast's thrashing started slow down even more - it was finally getting weaker and dying. Harley's vision scrambled over it's sandpapery hide covered in blue and purple bruises and splotches, searching for the saving grace that would end this thing. Finally, miraculously, the solution appeared in the form of a deep gouge right on it's neck. It was just deep enough to crack it through. This is it! Harley's fist glowed one more time with burning hot strength, waiting for the perfect moment to slam his Brick Break right through this bastards neck.

Wham! Shrapnel rocks flew every direction, the tensed paw slamming perfectly in place, resulting in a sickening snap to the dinosaur's shoulder. It grurgled blood through is roars of pain, it's neck making a snap like a tree uprooting from the ground. It spun around in it's gradually growing wobble, flailing like a chicken with it's head cut off, before it finally lost balance right on the side where the Simisear clung to it's shoulder. Harley yelped, and jumped off and slid backwards in the nick of time before it's dead weight slammed into the ground with a small dust ploom.

Harley's pulse throbbed in his neck as his heart threatened to jump out of this mouth. Arceus, that could have ended so bad.... Could have gotten crushed, or Lugia forbid, gotten blood on something vital and got infected.... Damn, his hair was probably a mess though. Harley got up from his kneeling position, dusting off his gloves and jacket before running his hands through his hair. The cackling of something became apparent behind him as it started echoing through the tunnels. The source slunk up to the rest of the group, appearing out the shadows like in a very fitting fashion for an undead Charizard. It wasn't a secret at all, the charred body parts, lack of tail flame and hellishly red eyes were a clear give-away.

"Ah seems some unfortunate souls got trapped in here. I am Eu sunt Dracul and I will be your doom if you don't tell me what I need to know. Where is the legendary that lives here and if you have seen a Charizard anywhere do tell me then I'll let you live a little while longer."Oooh, scaaary. The adrenaline of the last fight hadn't completely shrugged off his shoulders yet - considering he had just killed a gigantic rock beast (by a stroke of luck but even so,) this guy seemed like as much of a threat.

“I do not foresee you being my doom. If you do not run away and play with your undead brethren, you might end up like this soulless abomination, here. You choose.”Ooohh, I like her. Harley smirked confidently at the Arcanine as he dusted off the neck fluff that hung over his shoulder. He had no place to say anything at the moment, but he could relish in the tension between the opposing sides. He may not officially be with this group, but beating zombies was always a reason to side with living pokemon.

Looking at what he's up against they seem over their heads with him. The Charizard laughs at them not seeing most of them as a threat to him especially when he can easily infect them. “I do not foresee you being my doom,” The arcanine was so sure if itself that it thinks Dracul isn't a threat to it. “If you do not run away and play with your undead brethren, you might end up like this soulless abomination, here.” Seeing the fire dog smack the dead body of a skarmory didn't concern him. After all skarmory was as weak to fire as it is; Dracul however, was not. “You choose.” He starts laughing at the Arcanine as if it was a bluff. "Brethren? You think of them as my brethren? Hahahaha, you fools think of me as mindless. Yet, you rather doubt the one that is with you right now." Grabbing one of the dead bodies on the ground, Dracul shows he means business by tossing the body right at the Simisear though it landed close to it. Truly, brethren? Dracul only answers to the most powerful and not anyone else. He would rather kill them and have them join him rather than be a mindless beast.

Dracul stared at the Simisear laughing at him. A simple wing attack should break this one easily. As for the Arcanine and the two Growlithes Dracul will have fun with them as well as the Zoroark. The Aggron however maybe the only threat to him. A roar came from another chamber and Dracul quickly made an evil smile. It sounded like madness and the undead charizard relished the madness. "Mayhep pain shall change those tounges of yours." Licking his claws of the blood on them, he issued his challenge to them all. "What is a mon? A miserable pile of secrets, but enough talk have at you!" The first one he was going to target was the simisear. Dracul was planning something very sinister though they wasn't the target he had a much bigger fish to fry. He was going to tire them out then finish them off except for the only undead growlithe. The Charizard had something special for her though by feeding her the remains of her friends.

Whoa. This Simisear was pretty good. Jude had tried so many times to squeeze in another attack, but the beast's mindless thrashing had unnerved him; more than once he'd had to duck and dive out of the way of its massive tail. He felt that no matter how and where he attacked, that tail would beat him straight back out of the way, and it looked like it'd hurt a fair bit too.

But the Fire-type finished off the beast in spectacular fashion, practically smashing its neck to splinters with some sort of Fighting-type attack. Jude gagged as shards of rock and chunks of flesh splattered all around them as the Rhydon flailed, roaring out a lament of its imminent death before falling, shaking the ground with its sheer weight.

"Whoa..." Jude crept carefully towards the beast's corpse, giving the Simisear a nod of admiration. "That was pretty impressive! Uh, s-sorry I didn't land more hits..." They'd have likely felled the beast before now if he'd had the guts to risk another attack. Damn it.

Looking around, it seemed they were winning. Sahara and George had finally taken out the Skarmory, and the Graveller was looking worse for wear. Jude jumped as Smith suddenly thundered back into view, picking up the rock Pokemon's groaning body and hurling it off the side of the cliff. The dull thud of its landing echoed across the cavern.

Once that stopped, it was finally quiet again ... well, not counting Heatran's pounding footsteps rippling through the floor. Jude noticed that Smith was glaring off into the distance at something; were there more undead on the way. Sweet Arceus he hoped not; he felt they deserved a break of at least five minutes before taking on the enraged legendary. Good grief.

"COWARDS!" Smith abruptly bellowed, making Jude jump in surprise. Squinting across the murky cavern, he saw what could only be the retreating form of Maxwell. The Bulbasaur, Vincent, was nowhere to be seen either. Why would they think that running off was even remotely a good idea?

But Smith soon disregarded their retreating friends, turning back towards the group with a growl. Jude couldn't see what, but most of the group seemed to be rather irate, and he twitched his ears at the sound of a new voice. A voice he did not like the sound of whatsoever.

"Who are they talking to?" He glanced at the Simisear before creeping round the side of the rock, gasping as a Charizard came into view. No tail flame, blazing red eyes and a nasty purple bruise on its belly ... it was clearly infected. "Oh no..."

"We hannae got time fer this," Smith was snarling at it, almost nose to nose with the undead reptile. Jude flinched; he sure was brave, getting so close to its face like that. It could snap out and bite him at any moment. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't turn yer inside out and dump yer worthless corpse off the side of the cliff right now."

((Again, I had a bit of catching up to do so I may have missed one or two things. Anything you need me to add, let me know.))

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain (Main Chamber) | ??? (86)

This dead bastard was so damn close to having a female show him what the fuck consequences words could have. Not only did he continue to run his mouth, but he mocked Sahara, "Brethren? You think of them as my brethren? Hahahaha, you fools think of me as mindless. Yet, you rather doubt the one that is with you right now." What the hell was he going on about? He already knew what they thought about him after less than five minutes trading words? “Fuck you,” Sahara snapped, her posture aggressive. She didn't flinch, her eyes shooting daggers at the Charizard as he carelessly threw a corpse at the Simisear. Well fuck, he could toss a body, they'd better be real scared now.

He continued his bullshit, going on to laugh at the Fire- monkey. Jesus Christ, she just wanted to step on the Charizard's face, pressing further... further... until crunch, he'd finally shut the fuck up. "Mayhep pain shall change those tounges of yours." He was really going to try and take on them all? Oh, this was going to be so damn sweet... "What is a mon? A miserable pile of secrets, but enough talk have at you!" Challenge accepted. Sahara was exhausted physically, but her mind was alight like a flame, telling her to keep fighting.

A thunderstorm of heavy steps marched towards the Charizard, Smith getting in on the action with an enraged snarl, "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't turn yer inside out and dump yer worthless corpse off the side of the cliff right now." He was dangerously close to the Charizard, Sah doing little more than waiting to see how this played out. Make one damn move and I shall feed you your own entrails, filthy undead.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain [Main Chamber] | ??? George 45 | Nikora 40

Nikora's crimson eyes flickered with interest as the Charizard spoke. Who was this guy and where did he learn to cackle so heartily? "Brethren? You think of them as my brethren? Hahahaha, you fools think of me as mindless. Yet, you rather doubt the one that is with you right now." The dragon reached for one of their fell corpses, immediately exciting the pup till her belly sagged against the stone floor. He chucked it a bit past her toward the Simisear and Nikora's paws fluttered into action. Chase chase chase! There were two thuds; one for the body thumping against the ground and another for the hound pounding her way on top of it to feed. Blood pounded in her ears, drowning out the Charizard's laughter as she tore the body apart like a feral animal. She had just eaten but her stomach felt like a hollow stone that needed to be filled. This new Pokemon had come offering food; It had to be a friend! Maybe it would even let her eat it!

George's attention was divided. The Charizard threw out more gibberish and chortles but it was Nikora's enthusiastic devouring that worried him. Don't eat that it's rotten! But the female did not seem to notice as she tore hunks of meat away with gusto. Undead are attracted to activity.. What if her behavior sent Dracul into a feeding frenzy? With a rough swallow the Growlithe took a step back, his back paw brushing the edge of the slope, sending down a shower of pebbles. Legends we can't handle this right now! It was bad enough that it was acting like a god amongst men. Last thing they needed was for it to go on the offense.

Thankfully, Smith was not one to be detoured as he marched straight into the reptiles face. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't turn yer inside out and dump yer worthless corpse off the side of the cliff right now." He threatened very clearly, encouraging the hound. They might not have much space but they had power in numbers! Leaping forward George growled at the Chariard, ready to defend himself. "You know full and well we can and will kill your kind. If you really think yourself above them then you'll fly the fuck out of here before you end up like them."

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Mt. Stark | Main Chamber | Time Unknown4

Harley continued dusting off, leaning down to brush off his knees. He only noticed the Zoroark as his feet and end of his mane caught in his peripherie."Whoa.... That was pretty impressive! Uh, s-sorry I didn't land more hits..."Harley's smirk only grew. Sassy group, and praise on top of it? Looks like this was his place to be. At first, Harley rolled sentences and words around in his mouth, not liking the tone or taste of any of them. He got so few positive comments, this was almost unheard of to him before. He crossed his arms, his weight leaning on the foot angled behind him as a cocky smirk splayed across his face. "Hey, thanks! And no prob. I had that guy under my thumb." If he meant nearly being thrown off multiple times, landing a lucky shot and narrowly avoiding the beast falling on him as 'under his thumb,' then maybe his definition would have been correct. But for now, there were bigger things to gawk over than a dead Rhydon. "Who are they talking to? ... Oh no..."

"Brethren? You think of them as my brethren? Hahahaha, you fools think of me as mindless. Yet, you rather doubt the one that is with you right now."Before Harley could really react, there was a corpse flying toward him. With a small yelp, he skips to avoid the corpse as it slides past, leaving a disgusting smelling blood smear where he was just standing. He looked the Charizard right in the eyes, and it seemed to be... laughing at him? Oh no. Did this piss-scented bloodsucker think he was intimidated by him? Though he probably really shouldn't have, his loudmouth spoke up."Watch where you're throwing your trash, shit-head.""Mayhep pain shall change those tounges of yours. What is a mon? A miserable pile of secrets, but enough talk have at you!" Seemed like a fan of Finnegans Wake - he was spouting meaningless shit that made no fucking sense. Almost immediately, the hulking, raging beast of an Aggron made the floor shake as he stormed toward the Charizard. He got nose to nose with the heathen.

"We hannae got time fer this. Give me a good reason why I shouldn't turn yer inside out and dump yer worthless corpse off the side of the cliff right now."Ok, that one wasn't the one to mess with. Good to know. The other's seemed to (figuratively and literally) spark with a new flame in their hearts. Then again, having this beast on their side gave them a bit of leeway to throw whatever insults they wanted."You know full and well we can and will kill your kind. If you really think yourself above them then you'll fly the fuck out of here before you end up like them."Harley didn't have any heroic speech to throw at the Charizard, but simply stood. Letting his form relax was all the taunt that he needed.

The Aggron came rushing in at Dracul and was face to face with the undead charizard. "We hannae got time fer this," Staring the Aggron straight in the eyes, Dracul knew if he was to try to fight them that Aggron would crush him in seconds. "Give me a good reason why I shouldn't turn yer inside out and dump yer worthless corpse off the side of the cliff right now." Worthless? Surely Dracul maybe insane, but he knew when there is a threat of him being killed. Perhaps they could help him take out Heatran. "You know full and well we can and will kill your kind. If you really think yourself above them then you'll fly the fuck out of here before you end up like them." Not until he completes his task Heatran must die and a deal is to be made. Persuading them to not kill him is one thing but he would have to spare their lives is another. The Charizard hated this idea, yet he knew that if he didn't kill Heatran he would be punished by his cousin for sure. Dracul cleared his thoughts a bit so he could speak. "I'll make a deal with you, I'll help you kill Heatran in exchange I'll leave without any harm to come." As much as he hated these words that left his mouth, this was the only way he'll come out without being killed off. Besides he still has to find Mathias and bequeath his gift unto him.

Though an evil smirk was on his face, Dracul would have to hold his word of leaving without harming them or even infecting them. Before the undead fire type could say anything else a roar is heard from further in. It was Heatran and it sounded like it is about ready to bring the burning inferno into the whole mountain. "How about it Aggron, do we have a deal?" Time was running short and this wasn't the time to fight with them. If they was to make a deal then the charizard would have to listen to the living. These fools ordering me around like some minion? It sickens me, but if I try to take on that Aggron it would be foolish. Smoke left Dracul's snout at the very thought. It was the only way though or else he would die a horrible way.

Another roar came from Heatran's chamber and it sounded like he's on a rampage. "I will keep my word that you all will be left alone." Dracul really hated his words after all, he was responsible for killing a human and his own parents. If they was to make a deal this was the time. Heatran would be upon them if they stalled any longer and they would all be wiped out by Heatran's rampage. The Charizard would rather not be ended before he finds his brother.

"I'll make a deal with you," the Charizard said, surprisingly ... sentient for an undead. Smith paid this thought no heed though, continuing to stand in his face with a snarl. If this monster was dumb enough to make a move he'd be ready for him; he could break that bastard's neck in two with his bare hands. "I'll help you kill Heatran in exchange I'll leave without any harm to come."

Smith snorted, puffing his earthly breath into the Charizard's face. "D'yer think I'm stupid?" he growled, his tail lashing dangerously. "Lettin' a cannibalistic monster like yerself just stroll along wi' us?" He should just kill this bastard and be done with him, but something about this undead's remarkable amount of intelligence stayed his hand though ... he could speak, he could think...

But was an especially intelligent undead a useful tool or a risk of the deadliest quality? He couldn't afford any more risks, any more wasted lives ... look where he'd got them with his 'safe' mountain.

"How about it Aggron, do we have a deal?" the monster asked, its putrid breath finally getting to him and Smith had to lean his head away at last, wriggling his nose with distaste. He looked long and hard at the Charizard, thinking about every possible outcome, every risk, every advantage. "I will keep my word that you all will be left alone."

It was a long time before Smith said anything, the silence that followed their battle almost deafening until Heatran roared again, his footsteps pounding beneath them and echoing along the walls. Smith grimaced as the ground shivered again; he didn't have time to think about this for much longer. He was adding yet another entry to his list of today's stupid decisions, but he had this under control. He had this ... he just hoped that the others could see that.

"Fine," he eventually snapped, backing away from the Fire-type, giving him a look of utter disgust. He was a shitstain on the ground as far as he was concerned, but a potentially useful one. His heart hammered as the words that went against his every instinct came out of his mouth. "Come along, but if yer do anythin' - anythin' - that I don't like ... You lay a finger on anyone here, an' I swear I will break every bone in yer body."

He meant it. This thing so much as looked funnily at someone he'd ram a Stone Edge up its ass. It was a risk, yes, but Smith wouldn't give its consequences time to manifest. He would do this ... he would save everyone. There was no 'maybe' about it, and he wasn't about to let this dead lump of flesh taint that wish.

He turned slightly to face the rest of the group, still keeping the Charizard in the corner of his eye. He wasn't going to take his eyes off this bastard for a moment. A second was all it took. "Is everyone a'right?" he asked, looking around at them all. Thin streams of blood trickled down his skin and stained his armour; that Skarmory in particular had some razor sharp claws.

"I'm fine..." Jude almost whispered from his spot by the rock, his body hunched and trembling. His gentle eyes widened when he saw the blood shining on Smith's silver armour. "Smith, you're bleeding--"

"It's nothin'," the Aggron said with a wave of his hand. That was true; none of them had landed a bite on him. He'd suffered worse in the battle arena he'd grown up in. He clenched his scarred palms and looked around at the others, choosing to ignore the fact that Nikora was happily feasting on a nearby corpse. "Nobody hurt?"

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain (Main Chamber) | ??? (87)

Did they really seem like such a pitiful, helpless group that they needed help from such a lowlife undead? Sahara's ears did not deceive her, much to her own confusion and aggravation. "I'll make a deal with you, I'll help you kill Heatran in exchange I'll leave without any harm to come." The dead lizard offered. Sahara lifted her nose a bit higher, huffing out a bit of smoke. That was damn insulting to say the least..."D'yer think I'm stupid? Lettin' a cannibalistic monster like yerself just stroll along wi' us?" Smith seemed against it enough for the first few passing moments, but the fact he hadn't destroyed this bastard was unsettling... What the hell was he thinking?

"How about it Aggron, do we have a deal?" Damn, this Charizard sounded like the devil persuading one to sell their soul. Sahara glared at the Aggron, padding a tad closer. “You're not considering letting this...” she paused to gather the correct phrasing for this, “undead dick parade around like some kind of hero with us?” Her claws clicked lightly on the floor as the earth rumbled about."I will keep my word that you all will be left alone." The toothy smirk on the Charizard's face seemed like it was lies he spouted. She didn't believe this motherfucker for a minute. A moment of silence - sort of silence; you know, Heatran and all - before Smith spoke again; "Fine,"She wasn't even shocked. Not even."Come along, but if yer do anythin' - anythin' - that I don't like ... You lay a finger on anyone here, an' I swear I will break every bone in yer body."Sahara sighed purposely loudly, raising her clawed paw and waving it to emphasize herself, “Where the hell do we come in this operation? This affects us all, not a single party.”

Damn bipeds and their fucking thumbs. She wanted nothing more than to pinch the bridge of her nose and maybe choke a bitch - where the fuck was Frank when you needed him? - but not everything worked out for the tiger dog."Is everyone a'right?" Smith checked, "Nobody hurt?"Sahara mumbled a string of something unintelligible as her mood progressively worsened. All in all, if she could bitch, she was fine.

[You must be registered and logged in to see this image.]Stark Mountain [Main Chamber] | ??? George 46 | Nikora 41

George made a half-scoff half-growl each time the Charizard spoke up. Did this guy seriously think he was going to make it out of this in one piece? First he made some threats and now he was bargaining with them. Fuck sentience you're just an idiot. Glancing back at Smith for a moment he could see a growing rage in the Aggron. Any moment now he was going to stone that damn lizard to death and they could be on their way! But when he finally spoke it was not a word accompanied by an attack. "Fine," was all he started with, shocking the Growlithe until his jaw was agape. Badass grumpy old man Smith was going to let this hellspawned moron just tag along on their joyous trip to murder a legend? "Come along, but if yer do anythin' - anythin' - that I don't like ... You lay a finger on anyone here, an' I swear I will break every bone in yer body."

Digging his claws into the stone George turned on his paws. "You can not be serious," he challenged the steel type. "IT just said it was going to 'bring pain' to us and you're just gonna let it hang out cause it changed its dead mind?" Trickles of fire pooled at the back of his throat and licked at his teeth. Had Smith lost his mind? “Where the hell do we come in this operation? This affects us all, not a single party.” At least he wasn't alone in his opinion. "It'll do what all of these just did." George thrust his head downward and flicked a paw out toward the corpses scattered around them. For a moment all he can focus on is the crunching of bones as Nikora feeds but he pushes it away. He couldn't think about that right now..

"Is everyone a'right?" Smith changed topics to something just as important but way less precedent. "Nobody hurt?" Swiping blood from her muzzle Nikora looked up from her meal, no longer interested in it. With her belly full the static was leaving her head once more. "Jus' a couple a scratches," she cooed to the Aggron before hobbling her way over to her mate with an awkward gate. Her paws felt a little more response now that she ate again but they still had a strange weight to them she could not place. Maybe it was from being in a cave after so much time outside? "Yeah, just some scratches." The male echoed her, his gaze fixed on Smith while a growl was still clear in his throat. Worry tickled in the back of her head. Why was he so upset? "George?" Gingerly lifting one bloodstained paw closer to him the male moved, making a half circle around Nikora while still locked on the Aggron's eyes. "You want that sack of death with us? Fine. Just don't except any help when it tries to kill us."